20-year-old cold case murder sparks calls for investigation of District Attorney
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A grand jury recently indicted a man for a two decades old murder involving the daughter of an NYPD detective.
Edward Holley, 42, was arrested last April and charged with murder in Megan McDonald's 2003 death.
Her body was found on March 15, 2003, in a field off Bowser Road.
For the family, while they are gratified he's finally facing his day in court, they still have questions they wanted answered - namely, why it's taken so long.
"My sister was, is wonderful," said McDonald's sister Karen Whalen. "The whole point of this for us, for our family, our entire goal is to get my sister back, is to stop talking about how she died."
The family is getting closer to the case being closed on the 20-year-old's murder in Wallkill.
"I can't stand for no answers," added Whalen.
Holley was arraigned and pleaded not guilty last week to second degree murder charges.
Investigators say the 42-year-old killed Megan because he was angry she was dating someone else and he owed her money.
He was first arraigned last spring, but a judge freed him when the Orange County District Attorney failed to secure an indictment within six days as required by law.
Now, Megan's family and the Detectives' Endowment Association are accusing that District Attorney, David Hoovler, of standing in the way of Holley's arrest.
"There were things done that were unethical," said Paul DiGiacomo, President of the Detectives' Endowment Association. "Things done that should be investigated by the FBI and the attorney general to bring to light the corruption in that office in regards to this homicide case."
Last year, Hoovler appointed a special prosecutor in the case because as a defense attorney, he had once represented a client who potentially had information on Megan's death. That client has since passed away.
Hoovler maintains he acted with the highest of ethical standards and told Eyewitness News in a statement:
"Any suggestion that I did anything to interfere with the investigation into Megan McDonald's death is as categorically false as it is offensive. Since taking office, eleven years after this horrific crime occurred, I never denied a single investigative request of the New York State Police."
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
